The Disease Called Love
by candycanecoolio
Summary: You see, Severus Snape had a terrible disease. It made his stomach feel full of lacewings, and his head full of a single name. It made his chest ache and his eyes search, and he hated it. Yes, Severus Snape was In Love with Hermione Granger, and there was nobody more surprised than the man himself. A story full of unexpected angst, Meddling Old Coots, and two idiots In Love.


A/N: Hey guys! I promise I haven't given up on Ashes (my Dramione chapter fic), I just needed a break and this plot bunny hit me. I am around 800 words into the new chapter, so I'll try to have that up by the end of the day! I've been getting into snamione fics lately, and this is my first attempt at M. Honestly, I'm quite proud. I'm pretty sure it's not absolutely terrible!

Disclaimer: Do I look like J.K. Rowling? Because if I do it's all due to Polyjuice Potion. Therefore, I don't own Harry Potter or any of the characters.

Update: I have read over it and worked all kinks and spelling errors out, and if you see anything else I've most likely gone blind. Thanks for reading!

Update: I have gone blind! Apparently there were 2 errors afterwards, they should be fixed now! Thanks for the ones who alerted me to the problems!

* * *

As Severus Snape billowed about the halls of his trapping job, he reprimanded himself for ever trying to seem approachable to the newest arithmancy professor three years previously. He should have turned away or sneered, as he did in her school days. Instead he had offered his hand in an attempt to be civilized. Had he been able to see into the future . . . well. He hadn't. And now he was stuck with his present situation, which was all his fault.

He had never expected to feel the twitch of a smile on his lips every time she used her caustic wit. He had never wanted to feel his eyes soften every time she chose to sit by him. He'd never hoped for the smugness that overtook him every time she defended him to her ignorant friends.

Yes, Severus Snape was In Love, much to the annoyance of the man in question, and he intended for it to stay a secret. However, Fate, having Meddling Old Coots to bend to her whims, had other plans.

Walking apprehensively to the staffroom, he spotted a brown mass of hair that was quickly becoming a great source of amusement to him.

Sitting in the puffy green chair seated next to her equally puffy red one, Severus nodded once to himself and began reading, meticulously losening his fingers from the edge of the chair so he wouldn't leave a permanent indent. He was forcing himself to relax.

"Professor Snape!"

He grit his teeth and looked down his nose at her.

"Yes, Professor Granger?"

Yes, Severus Snape was In Love with Hermione Granger, and there was nobody more surprised than the man himself.

* * *

She heard the deep voice-low and smooth- and it swept past her ears and onto her tongue, sticky syrup and thick honey. It made a barrier of sound against the incessant chattering she kept forcing herself to tolerate. She was Hermione Granger, after all, and could deal with a few rowdy students.

She turned to face the endchair, where none other than the esteemed Severus Snape resided. The youngest staff member had always taken that place and therefore the Loathed Chair was hers by default.

"Excuse me, Professor Snape?" She said politely, forcing a grimace down her throat.

"Since we are," he sneered," _Colleagues_ now, I propose a truce of sorts. I wil not belittle you if you will not bother me."

Hermione held back a gape as she took the hand he offered. Little had she known then the future the shake would bring. If she had. . .well. She hadn't. And now, three years later, she had to deal with the consequences.

See, Hermione Granger had a disease. It gave you an aching chest and a fluttery stomach. It gave you sweaty palms and nervous fidgeting. She was painfully In Love, and she didn't like it on bit.

She heard almost imperceptable footsteps padding accross the carpet from her current seat in the staff room. She heard the swishing of a cloak and smiled to herself, lips quirking up. How he loved to make entrances.

He sat down in his usual green chair, in contrast to her red one, and began reading, his fingers clenched on the edge of the arm of the chair. He released them one by one.

She frowned and decided to start a conversation. He seemed frustrated over something.

"Professor Snape!"

"Yes, Professor Granger?"

Yes, Hermione Granger was In Love with Severus Snape, and nobody could have been more sad about it than she was.

"Professor, erm. What are you reading?" She managed to squeak.

He raised a thin eyebrow and turned the cover of his book to her. He then proceeded to continue reading it.

Hermione rolled her eyes and picked up her own book, continuing where she left off. She settled in for a long night of reading by a merrily crackling fire and her favorite companion, The Surly Potions Master.

* * *

It seemed to Hermione that everyone thought they were a Well Suited Match, and were both In Love with each other. Everyone but her, that is. McGonagall would look at her knowingly, Flitwick would titter about, even Madam Pomfrey would sneak (un)covert glances at her and Professor Snape when they discussed articles on Hermione's Arithmancy or notes on Snape's Potions.

However, these encouragements in mind, Hermione made a very simple, very Gryffindor, very brash plan. It was, she thought, time to tell him everything he ought to know.

Hermione called her second years up to talk to them about their recent behavior regarding Professor Snape. They needed to be scolded and, of course, play their very important roles in The Plan.

* * *

He first knew when he cast a patronus, and instead of a doe, a chattering otter went off to deliver his news. Minerva McGonagall was quite surprised, pleasantly so, and immediately filled her role as Meddling Old Coot.

Their conversations were often one-sided and about Hermione and the Complications of Wooing. The only reason he still talked to her was because of the encouragements that his affections were returned, which were comforting delusions to his bruised soul.

Thus, he was not _un_happy when Hermione came to check on him after Minerva had hauled the two errant, surprisingly terrified second years away with a gleam in her eyes.

Hermione sat on a desk, the one she'd used as a student, and gave him a caluculating look.

"I heard the explosion from my rooms," she said quietly.

Severus looked at her.

"Yes, but Minerva set them straight. They seemed vibrating with terror. The insolent fools shan't cross me again," he drawled. The only good thing that had come from from the whole debacle was a reprieve from classes, which he had suspiciously attributed to Hermione's obvious guilt.

Severus watched her worry her lip and lower her eyes. She was nervous. She took a deep breath, and he just _knew_ she was going to brag about how she'd found out his secret, and would gloat about its impossibility.

"Severus, I've come here to talk to you. I've known I would have to tell you after a while, but I've been putting it off, and I don't think it would be fair to keep it from you any longer. You see, I-"

"I already know what you've discovered, Miss Granger," he said, resorting to student formalities. He belatedly realized she had said his name as her eyes lit up.

"You do? Oh, I didn't think I could bear it if you hated me afterwards!" She said. He looked at her coldly.

"I do hate you," he said. He saw her face crumple, but he needed to Lock His Heart.

"I hate that you think you are better than I am. I hate that you had believed, childishly, that you might make me weak."

Her form staggered backwards like he'd hit her. His heart twinged as he continued. He decided to push her away from him indefinitely.

"The only person who ever deserved my admiration was Lily."

She cried out, as if in pain, and backed up to the doorway. Her eyes were agonized, and doubt rippled through his brain.

"Severus, I . . . I . . . ," she stuttered, and fled from the room, not noticing that a piece of paper had dropped from her pocket.

* * *

Hermione had never expected a big Declaration Of Love from him, but she'd counted on his contuing friendship. She didn't count on his Undying Hatred.

At least she'd had the good sense to leave before she had a chance to give him her letter. It was only a backup for her secretly Cowardly Heart, but it gave her comfort to know she'd written it all down.

She felt in her pocket for the paper, and felt nothing. She searched all her other pockets. Absolutely Nothing.

Hermione cried harder, stumbling into her room and onto her bed. Her pillow case collected moisture as she mourned. She should have known she could never be Lily. She should have known he would never want _her._

* * *

He hated himself.

The way her eyes had closed up on him, like he'd extinguished her soul, would remain in his mind forever.

He looked at the letter he'd read ten times over.

_Dear Severus,_

_If I'm giving this to you, my courage has failed me and I am in my room, berating myself._

_See, this letter is probably the most important I've ever written._

_Without preamble, I must tell you how earnestly and faithfully I am in love with you. Every moment I see you, my heart's beat quickens and all the light in the world couldn't hold a candle to how happy you can always make me, even in the most unhappy times._

_I don't expect reciprocation, but I thought you ought to know. It does involve you quite heavily, after all._

_With all my hope and love,_

_Hermione Granger._

Severus ran a hand through his lank hair. She was In Love with him, had been about to tell him. And what had he done? He'd ruined it by using the most hurtful thing he possibly could to someone he loved: Lily.

The Truth was, he didn't love Lily anymore. He was free of her, but now he didn't think that counted an ounce. The damage had been done, and his chance at happiness was finished.

He hated himself.

* * *

He seated himself in his usual seat. He hoped she would be there to argue.

But she wasn't at school that day.

Or the next.

Or the next.

* * *

Minerva McGonagall was furious.

Hermione had come to her and told her that she needed a short break, a vacation of sorts. Of course, Professor McGonagall had seen her red eyes and dark countenance, and that made her sympathetic to whatever plight the girl had gotten herself into. Therefore, despite the fact that an arithmancy professor was desperately needed, Mcgonagall let her go on holiday.

Using Severus' muttered remarks and a crumpled letter with Severus' handwriting on the Floor of the Dungeons (in the wastebasket) addressed to Hermione Granger, she'd pieced together what had happened. She would not allow Severus to throw away his last chance at happiness for his own security of mind. So she did what Meddling Old Coots do best.

She Meddled.

* * *

It had been a week since he'd last seen her, eyes rimmed with wet tears. He couldn't forget.

He needed a Relaxing Vacation.

So Minerva sent him to Austrailia.

How lovely.

* * *

It was a muggle hotel, that was obvious. He'd rather it be muggle, as there wasn't a remote possibility that he could see someone he knew.

It was a threadbare, empty room he was in, and it felt inexplicably like home. He threw his satchel on the bed and went to the lobby of the hotel to investigate his temporary residence.

There was a large pool through the glass doors to his left, and another complex of rooms through glass doors to his right. He turned as he heard the complex doors open, but the person had already rounded the corner. All he'd gotten was a glimpse of unmistakeable Bushy Brown Hair.

* * *

Hermione felt like she was being watched.

Constantly for the past week, she'd felt a tingling on the back of her neck almost every time she stepped outside of her room.

She told herself she was being silly, though, and ignored it.

Hermione had been at the dirty hotel for two weeks and it was beginning to feel like home. Even though her room was full of dustbunnies, the people were nice and the breakfast was good. And she got glimpses of her parents when walking around the small town, so that made the chilly showers and dim lighting completely worthwhile.

She'd left without a destination, needing only to get away from a place where everything reminded her of him, but the second she was off Hogwarts Grounds she knew where she wanted to go.

The whole town was welcoming. The man who ran the hotel was grandfatherly, constantly giving her candy. The occupants of the hotel were wonderfull as well, always smiling, never an unkind word being said.

She'd heard the other residents talk about a new client of the hotel's, a man who was quiet and brooding. An oddball. That sounded distinctly like one Surly Potions Master, but Hermione didn't think about it. She'd never met the new client, so she was fine with only knowing rumors.

* * *

He'd been watching her all week. Sometimes she seemed happy, but there was always something in her eyes that showed her pain, showed what he'd done. He had to make it right, and before he left for his room that first night he knew he would.

So he watched her, trying to gouge when she was at her best. She seemed to enjoy the pool, the calm coolness, and was the only guest who used it. He decided to give her some company.

So Severus found himself transfiguring some trousers into swimming trunks and masked his scars with a glamour. He walked down to the pool, getting strange looks as he went. He reached the glass doors and opened them, a small squeak penetrating the silence of the room where she was silently floating. He prepared himself for battle.

* * *

Hermione heard the squeak and saw the dark hair out of the corner of her eye. Immediately, the lightness she'd been feeling plummeted to a pitch-black sorrow, as hate wasn't possible to feel for him. She didn't move an inch.

"I'd hoped to get away from you when I came here. I promise I didn't come to annoy you, or waste your time further," she said quietly, trying to seem normal. Trying to seem Whole.

He said nothing as he stepped into the pool, the ripples alerting her to his whereabouts. Thusly, she stood straight and turned to face him. She couldn't expose anything.

He looked at her strangely, as if gouging something. Once he seemed pleased, he nodded minisculely to himself and looked at her, determined.

"Hermione," he began, lickig his lips,"Hermione, I didn't know."

Her eyes tightened imperceptably.

"You said you did. You also conveyed perfectly well how you felt about the situation."

"I thought . . . well. I thought you had stuck your nose into my business and found out that I-" he stopped, because he'd reached out to her and she flinched away, and that pained him more than her hate ever could.

"Don't, please," she said quietly. It was a blow to his wall.

"If you leave, I won't bother you again. I'll go back to Hogwarts and stop being cowardly and stop running away from facing you and teach arithmancy, but I'll leave you completely alone. I give you my word," she said. It tore down his wall completely.

He threw his hands up with a splash.

"You daft woman! I pushed you away because I thought you'd found out that _I _love _you_! I read your letter and felt abominable!"

Hermione closed her eyes and swallowed. That wasn't the only issue. They needed to sort everything out before she could hand him her heart.

"Lily," she forced out, wishing she could let it be. "You said she was the only thing that mattered."

He looked pained, then, and implored her to look into his eyes.

"I lied," he said," I lied and it hurt you and I apologise most adamantly."

"But you loved her for ages, how could I ever take her place?"

He looked stricken.

"There isn't a place to take anymore. Come with me, I'll show you."

* * *

And so, it was against Hermione's judgement that she followed him to Hogwarts. She'd put on a cloak to hide her attire before they arrived. He led her down the corrider to The Place, where the no-doubtedly charred room of requirement used to be.

"We have repaired the room, and what I would like to show you is something I discovered a short time ago," Severus said.

He paced, turning thrice, and a door appeared before them, battered and broken and burned. He made as if to grab her hand, but thought better of it at her stiffening muscles.

Severus opened the door and led her in, and two chairs appeared, red and green. He sat in the red one.

Once she was seated, picture frames covered the walls, black-and-white and all of the same person who Hermione couln't possibly hate more at that moment.

Lily Potter.

Lily smiling, Lily pouting, Lily laughing. Everything was Lily, and suddenly Hermione knew why he had brought her there.

He really did hate her.

* * *

Severus saw Hermione's pain return, as well as anger, and knew he needed to buy time. The first time he'd seen it, what Hermione needed to see had taken a moment to manifest.

"I'm going to leave," Hermione said quietly, walking towards the door.

So he did the only thing he could think to do. He yanked her arm and pushed her against the wall, her body so close to his that their breaths were mingling.

"What-?"

"Wait," he growled. He had to wait, but he wanted to kiss her, to hold her.

And then, just as his self-control began to crumble, it happened.

The pictures of Lily changed to Hermione. Instead of black-and-white, faded Lily pictures, Hermione was on the wall, vibrant and alive and colorful and _Real_.

"Hermione, I cannot tell you how sorry I am that I said what I said. But," he smiled slightly, and it lit up his face,"This does involve you quite heavily after all."

Hermione looked at him blankly for a moment, and he became nervous. However, he needn't have been, because just moments later her eyes showed him all of her love, and he gasped at the joy of it.

He kissed her, and that was her first glimpse of his love. He descended upon her like a man desperate for water, and she happily quenched his thirst. As he became more and more enraptured with the woman in front of him, he faintly noticed that she was scrabbling at the cloak he'd donned over his swimming trunks, but it didn't matter. Not until a flash of color alerted him to their surroundings.

"Hermione," he gasped, and she looked at him. He gestured to the pictures around them.

Then he ran them to the nearest fireplace and flooed them away with a quick shout.

* * *

They arrived in the leaky cauldron so he could apparate them. They landed in his bed at the hotel, and Severus quickly got to work.

He kissed her gently this time, and she tasted of strawberries and maple syrup. He traced her lips with his tongue as he threw off her cloak and she moaned, a sound deep in her throat. It made him painfully aware of how tight his swim trunks were getting.

"Hermione," he panted,"Are you sure?"

She answered him with a kiss, and he took it as a yes. He muttered a quick contraceptive charm, and she began removing her bathing suit straps. He took over, licking his way down her neck. When the straps were released, Severus peeled the rest of the one-piece off so that her stomach was exposed, and he growled in triumph.

She tried to drag his mouth to hers, but he simply wanted to look at her for a moment.

Hermione had three long gashes on her stomach, one running through her right breast, and there were small but distinctive marks on her neck. She began squirming and tried to cover herself, but he stopped her hands in their tracks.

"No," he said gently,"You are exquisite." He removed his glamour charms and let her see him as he was, and she gasped at the gesture.

He bent down and kissed her nose, beginning his descent. He ran his lips down her jaw, his hands grazing her sides. He licked the shell of her ear and bit her cheekbone before giving her neck his attention. Placing a few lingering kisses on her collarbone, he ran his tongue down one breast before taking a hard, pink nipple in his mouth.

Hermione gasped in pleasure, her hands tangled in his hair. He licked the tip of her nipple before sucking and biting, her high keening encouraging his administrations.

He moved to the other breast and did the same, her cries getting louder.

Severus nipped his way down her stomach, licking her scars with the flat of his tongue. Once he reached her hips, he spread her legs wide and licked the inside of her thigh once, twice, thrice before moving back up to her face.

He kissed her roughly, and their teeth clashed as he slipped a finger into her wet folds.

She gasped at the unexpected entrance, arching her back, and he took advantage of her passion to suck her nipple again, pinching the other between the fingers of his unoccupied hand.

Her hips started to buck and he pulled away, wanting to see her when she went over the edge.

"Severus, stop, s-stop, I need. . ." he stopped at her words, understanding what she wanted. He removed his swimtrunks and crowded above her, looking into her eyes.

Seeing her need for him, he impaled her with one smooth stroke, and it was so tender a movement that her eyes watered.

He began to move, slow and steady, and her legs locked around him as her hands stroked his face.

"Hermione," he growled,"Look at me."

She opened her eyes, not realizing she'd closed them, and looked into his. She felt a tentative brush inside her mind.

His strokes slowly got faster, and their mingled gasping quickened. He pushed everything into her mind as they loved each other.

She saw the way he saw her, the way he saw beauty in everything she did. She felt his pleasure and happiness while they were joined as one, and it sent her higher and higher until she hit an imaginary barrier and split into a million pieces, fell over the edge of a cliff.

Still looking into his eyes, her inner walls clenched around him as she came, hips bucking. She yelled a mangled version of his name and sobbed at the pleasure of it.

As severus saw Hermione undone before him, he grunted and quickened his pace, prolonging her pleasure. As she shook, he released himself, yelling roughly as he felt the most joy he'd ever felt in his life.

Once he was calm and she had slowed her breathing, he rolled them to the side and moved his face so close to hers that their noses touched. He was still inside of her as they fell asleep, dreaming of the glory they felt, of the stars they were surpassing.

They slept for the rest of the afternoon.

* * *

He awoke to the pleasant feeling of a woman beside him, her head tucked under his chin.

Severus smiled and brushed a hair behind her ear, the better to see her face.

He waited .

* * *

She woke feeling sated and sore, and a head was sitting atop hers. Hermione smiled and shifted her eyes so she could look up at him, so she could see his face.

She met his piercing black eyes and they were full of warmth and love, and a tear slipped down her flushed cheek. He frowned.

"What is the matter? Do you . . . are you . . . Do you wish to leave?" He asked tiredly. She smiled at him.

"You stupid man! I've just wanted your affection for such a long time, I never thought I'd get you. And now that I have you, I'd very much like to keep you."

He smiled and laughed, and the vibrations made them both very aware of how they were conjoined.

Severus looked at her seriously and rolled her over so he had her pinned to the mattress. His lips grazed her cheek as she gasped, and the confirmation seemed to be given when he slammed into her. Hermione cried out.

"I . . . Love . . . You," he growled between thrusts.

She didn't have the strength to answer him, and simply reciprocated with her actions.

They didn't leave the bedroom for the rest of the day.

* * *

Minerva McGonagall's eyes twinkled much like her predecessor's when she noticed how Severus' fingers grazed Hermione's back, how her knees bumped into his as they ate, how his eyes constantly lingered on her face. Everything was so subtle that it wasn't obvious to anyone who weren't Very Good Friends, so nobody noticed but she.

At her office, she linked her fingers in front of her face and smiled.

See, Minerva McGonagall was classified as a Meddling Old Coot subject to the Whims of Fate, and her Meddling had just worked out quite nicely.

Also, Professor Flitwick owed her ten galleons.

* * *

The first time she knew she loved him was when he'd yelled at her during her second year as a teacher.

She'd requested to use his labs and an experiment had gone wrong, and he'd yelled at her to have "Adult supervision" and some tripe like that. He'd cared for her safety, and it got to her.

The first time she knew he loved her without a doubt was when they'd brewed a potion together and he'd left to get extra lacewings and a cauldron had blown up, and he yelled at her to be careful and never enter the potions lab again.

He'd kissed her cuts after she'd thoroughly snogged him once he'd finished berating her, and she knew the signs. Fierce protective instincts. Worry. Nervousness. Yes, Severus Snape was In Love with Hermione Granger. And Hermione Granger was In Love with Severus Snape.

And nobody could be more (pleasantly) surprised than them.

Not even one twinkly-eyed Meddling Old Coot.

* * *

A/N: This is my first Snamione fic, I tried my best! Review, don't review, but feedback would be great!


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